Pregnant Woman who Already has a Family Tell us a bit about yourself. My name is Nancy Vegas. I grew up in southern Georgia, and lived there until I met my husband Will. We moved to Missouri for work, and settled down in Kansas City. We had our first child 17 years ago, and our second child followed two years later. We enjoy hiking, mountain climbing, and outdoor photography. Are you a mother facing an unplanned pregnancy? Yes. I am. My husband and I took our second honeymoon about 6 weeks ago. It was so romantic to see Venice in all of its splendor. We couldn’t help ourselves. A little bit of red wine, an evening alone without the kids, and viola, caution went out the window. I was a…
How to Protect Yourself Against Coronavirus
How to Protect Yourself Against Coronavirus COVID-19, better known as the coronavirus, is sweeping the world, with over 600,000 infected so far. The symptoms can be severe, especially for older adults. Coronavirus can even result in death. In fact, over 28,000 have died from the coronavirus. These grim statistics are resulting in social distancing and shelter in place orders worldwide. With this worldwide pandemic, the most common question on peoples' minds is how do they prevent catching the coronavirus. The answer is that there is no surefire way to prevent catching the virus, but that many common sense tips can dramatically reduce your risk of catching coronavirus. Here are four ways to reduce your risk of catching the coronavirus. Practice good personal hygiene One of the most important things you…
Women who Place their Children for Adoption – Who are they?
There is a stereotype about women who place children for adoption. It is that they are young, unwed, possibly drug-addicted women. While there are women who place their children for adoption that fit this description, the stereotype doesn’t hold true for many of the women who place their children for adoption. Who are these women? The answer is that they are women from all backgrounds and life experiences. Here are five quick examples: They don’t want another child Many women who place children for adoption already have children. That’s right. They are already raising children in loving, stable households. They simply do not want to raise another child. For example, a mother of three children may not feel financially stable enough to raise an additional child. Many of these women…
How to Create an Adoption Plan (Steps)
Thinking about adoption? One thing to think about is your adoption plan. Creating an adoption plan is important because it has huge ramifications for your child’s welfare. You might be asking what is an adoption plan? The honest answer is that there is no such thing as a catch all adoption plan. Every adoption plan is unique and based on individual circumstances. However, adoption plans have common threads that are worth analyzing. This article will help you conceptualize some of the steps you should take when creating an adoption plan. Step 1 – Research Once you have decided to place your child for adoption, the first thing you need to do is research. You need to research what an adoption entrails, the different types of adoptions available, and the…
Why use an Adoption Agency?
Are you thinking about adoption? If so, you may be thinking about how to plan your adoption. One big part of that plan is whether you should use an adoption agency. The short answer is yes. But let’s dig deeper into that answer. Why Choose an Adoption Agency There are many reasons why you should use an adoption agency when planning an adoption. The first is that adoption is complicated. There are legal hurdles associated with adoption that may be hard to navigate on your own. For example, if you are planning an interstate adoption, you need to comply with the requirements of the Interstate Child Placement Compact. Even if you are planning an intrastate adoption, you would still need to complete legal paperwork. You would most likely need…
Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children
Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children Everyone is talking about the constitution lately. Specifically, a provision of the constitution that begins with the letter I. But I don’t want to talk about impeachment. There is actually another provision of the constitution with huge ramifications for the adoption process. It is the interstate compact provision of the constitution. The interstate compact provision of the constitution states that states may form certain agreements with each other, provided that they have consent of Congress to do so. The Supreme Court has interpreted this provision to require congressional approval if the compact would expand the power of the states at the expense of the federal government. States have formed compacts for a variety of reasons. One example is compacts to handle environmental issues…
Choosing an Adoptive Family
Are you an expectant mother seeking to place your child for adoption? Let Adoption Choices of Missouri help. There are a lot of choices to make when placing a child for adoption. The first is whether to have an open, semi-open, or closed adoption. After you decide the type of adoption to have, you will want to choose an adoptive family. Choosing the right family is very important, as it has numerous ramifications for your child’s upbringing. You might be asking yourself what are some criteria to consider when choosing an adoptive family. There are many things to consider, although nothing fully replaces your gut instinct of a good match. Here are a few things to consider: A good starting point when considering an adoptive family is the life your…
How to Take Care of Yourself During the Adoption Process
The adoption is a difficult emotional experience for everyone involved, especially for both birth mothers who are navigating the complexities of their choice to place their child for adoption, and for adoptive parents who are anxiously preparing for a new child. The adoption process can also be very demanding as all parties involved must follow rigorous guidelines. With all this additional stress, it can begin to take a toll on you. Below are some tips for keeping yourself healthy both physically, mentally, and emotionally throughout the adoption process. While everyone has a different experience, here are some self-care tips to consider as you navigate this emotional time. Use your Resources When the stress of the process seems overwhelming, it can help ease any anxiety or discomfort by reaching out to…
Positive Adoption Language
Words are important. They are so important that infants as young as 6 months old can understand some words, despite being unable to speak. Words also convey both facts and feelings. That is why words have a denotation, or literal meaning, and a connotation, or implication. For example, the phrase “bad apple” literally means a rotten apple, but the implication is that the target of that phrase is a bad person. In the context of adoption, different words can lead to a different perception of the adoption process. They can even influence the decision to place a child for adoption. That is why it is so important to use positive adoption language when describing the adoption process. Here are three quick examples. 1 - The adoption process starts with the decision…